Hummus is Easy

... And so much quicker than driving over to Trader Joe's and deciding which of the seventy million varieties they have to get. Also, you know exactly what's going in and there are no preservatives. Always a plus, not to mention the fact that this makes twice as much for a fraction of the price.

The ingredients:


First drain the garbanzos, but retain the liquid. You'll use some of it to thin out the hummus.

Crush, peel, and roughly chop 2 cloves of garlic, or 3 if they're wimpy and small.


Add the beans, the garlic, a big spoonful of tahini (about a quarter cup), a generous pinch of salt, a bunch of ground pepper, and the juice of a lemon to your food processor.


Pulverize it. A lot. Hummus is not one of those dips you want chunky.


Once you are satisfied that there is enough salt, pepper, and lemon juice, add a generous drizzle of a good olive oil and blend again.


Ta-da!


At this point it's done, and delicious, but slightly boring-looking. You can eat it like this or add any number of accoutrements: roasted peppers or garlic, jalapeno and cilantro, sun-dried tomatoes, anything! The sky's the limit! I personally took the little scoop of pesto I had left over from the other night and dolloped it into a well I made in the middle. I'm taking it to an opera rehearsal potluck this afternoon (hence the very attractive tupperware serving vessel) with assorted crudite and the pesto will get swirled in with the hummus and make... wait for it... pesto hummus! I further garnished it with a sprinkling of paprika (make sure it's paprika and not cayenne, although cayenne hummus sounds good too! Just know what you're putting in.)